The Years Following
by CasualWriting
Summary: Taking place in the years after Cell, we rejoin Gohan and company as they learn how to deal with the new threats that are to arrive on Earth, without Goku being able to save the day.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: _Unknown Visitors_**

Kame House rumbled with activity as Krillin darted around the kitchen while 18 and Turtle kept Marron busy. 18 held her daughter on Turtle's back, Marron laughing as she pretended to balance on a surfboard.

"Look, Daddy, look," She laughed, "I'm surfing."

"That's amazing, sweetheart," Krillin chuckled, "I guess we'll have to save up to buy an actual board, huh, 18?"

"I guess so," 18 said, taking Marron from Turtle's back and placing her back on the floor, "Why don't you run and get washed up for lunch, dear?"

"Okay, Mommy," Marron said before rushing off.

Someone knocked on the front door as 18 got to her feet, a quick conversation happening outside.

"I'll get it," 18 said. She tossed open the door and came face to face with Tien and Chiaotzu, each with a bundle over their shoulder.

"Is Roshi home?" Tien asked.

"He said he was going to get groceries," 18 replied, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just that time for some of the animals on the mountain. Figured it's best not to disturb them," Tien said, "So we were wondering if we could stay here for the next few months."

"Well, I'm sure Roshi wouldn't have a problem with that," 18 said, "Make yourselves at home."

"Thanks," Tien said as he entered, placing his stuff next to the doorway and heading off to relax in the living room.

Chiaotzu put his stuff next to Tien's and made his way to the kitchen, floating behind Krillin to see over his shoulder.

"What are you cooking?" He asked.

"It's a recipe Bulma gave me. I didn't catch the name," Krillin replied, "While you're here, would you mind getting the plates out? They're in the second cupboard on the left."

"No problem," Chioatzu said, quickly washing his hands before getting the plates.

"Hey, guys, lunch is almost ready," Krillin called, "Why don't you get ready?"

"Sure thing," 18 said as she went to fetch Marron.

As the group went to sit at the table, the house began to shake violently, knocking objects from the shelves and onto the floor.

"What's going on?" 18 asked, clutching Marron to her chest.

"Hey, guys," Turtle called from the doorway, "You might wanna take a look at this."

Everyone rushed outside in time to see a massive ship pass behind the mountains, beginning its descent towards the wastelands.

"Chiaotzu, stay here," Tien said, his companion silently nodding.

"Turtle, keep an eye on Marron," 18 said, placing her daughter next to the animal.

The trio watched as Krillin, 18 and Tien shot off into the distance, the shaking coming to an end as they disappeared into the horizon.

* * *

Gohan panted as he hastily looked around for Piccolo, the Namekian quickly appearing in front of him. Before the half-Saiyan could react, Piccolo slammed his shin into his chest, knocking him on his back.

"You're slowing down," Piccolo said as Gohan got to his feet, "What happened to the boy who killed Cell?"

"I'm sorry, mister Piccolo," Gohan replied, "I haven't had the time to train. Entrance exams are coming up and I'm still not ready."

Piccolo furrowed his brow before turning to the door. "You're welcome to use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber any time you want, you know?" He asked.

"Oh," Gohan answered, "yeah."

"Okay then," Piccolo said, "Now let's go. Your mother's probably worried."

"Right," Gohan said.

Mr. Popo came rushing up to the duo as they left the chamber. "Please come quickly. There is something you must see," He panted.

"What's wrong, Mr. Popo?" Gohan asked.

"There is no time to explain," Mr. Popo answered, "Just please hurry."

Gohan and Piccolo followed behind the genie as he ran for the rim of the Lookout, Dende standing on the edge looking at the sky.

"Dende, what's going on?" Gohan asked.

"That," Dende said, motioning towards the sky.

Gohan looked towards where Dende motioned and saw a massive ship begin to break through the atmosphere, a vicious wind whipping around them as the ship passed by.

"What do you make of it, Piccolo?" Dende asked.

"Well, it's nowhere near as evil as Cell," Piccolo said as he took off his cloak and turban, "But something on there is giving off far more energy than he ever did."

"He's right," Gohan said.

"Dende, you and Mr. Popo keep an eye on us," Piccolo said, "Gohan, come on."

"Right behind you," Gohan said, the duo taking off to fly close behind the ship.

* * *

Chi-Chi stood in the doorway watching Goten and Trunks cheerfully play tug of war with Icarus. Inside her home, Yamcha, Vegeta, and Bulma sat watching the Taitans game, Vegeta mocking the team for every mistake.

"Don't be so hard on them, Vegeta," Bulma said.

"No, he's right," Yamcha said, "They shouldn't be making this many mistakes. Honestly, the team's gone downhill since Coach Hein left. Glad I got out before thing's got too bad."

The game continued on as poorly as ever. So when it seemed as though the Taitans might score a home run, all three of them leaned forward in excitement. Just as the call was made, the power cut out, leaving the trio disappointed. The house was left in complete darkness, prompting Bulma to grab her flashlight.

"When did it get so dark out?" Bulma asked, "We haven't been here that long have we?"

"No, it's still noon," Yamcha said, glancing up at the clock.

A loud roar echoed through the house, startling Bulma and causing her to drop the flashlight. The trio rushed from the house and saw Icarus sheltering Chi-Chi and the boys under his wings, a massive ship passing overhead.

"What is that thing?!" Chi-Chi cried.

The group stared straight up at the ship as it passed by, Vegeta's face turning to a scowl as he saw the emblem on its side.

"Bulma, take everyone back to Capsule Corp," Vegeta growled, "You'll be safer there."

"What is that thing, Vegeta?" Bulma asked.

"A mistake I should've rectified years ago."

Bulma stepped back as Vegeta shot into the air like a missile, darting straight toward the ship. Yamcha ran past Bulma, turning to face her as he started to fly.

"I'll try and make sure he doesn't get himself killed," he said, "Or worse, get any of us killed."

With that, he shot off after Vegeta, leaving a trail of energy blazing behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapte****r ****2****: **_**Informal Introductions**_

Vegeta charged toward the ship before coming to a sudden stop, throwing his arms out as a ball of energy began to form in his palms. The ball grew larger and larger as he charged his energy, bolts of electricity flashing around him. Yamcha flew as fast as he could to get between the two but couldn't make it in time. The Saiyan released all of the energy he had built up, a huge yellow blast barreling straight for the ship.

The blast hit the ship straight on, a plume of smoke rising from the ship's hull as it started to nosedive towards the ground. Vegeta darted after it, prompting Yamcha to follow after him, hoping to reach him before he could do anything else.

* * *

Piccolo and Gohan stopped at the sudden rise in energy, hovering in place while the ship continued onward. Both were taken aback as a yellow blast shot over the cliffs, striking the ship's hull.

"That was Vegeta," Piccolo said, "Come on!"

* * *

18, Krillin, and Tien gathered on a rock as the ship crashed down to Earth, sending rocks flying as it slid along the ground, toppling a rock pillar as it came to a stop. Yamcha and Gohan dropped behind them as Vegeta's cries filled the air.

"Let go of me!" He yelled as Piccolo wrapped his arms around the Saiyan and dragged him out of the sky.

"Just calm down, Vegeta," Piccolo said.

"I am calm!" The Saiyan yelled, struggling against the Namekian.

"What's got him so worked up?" Krillin asked.

"I'm not sure," Yamcha replied, "He just saw that ship and shot it down without hesitation."

Tien jumped in to help Piccolo stop Vegeta as the rest of the Z-fighters stood watching the ship, the overwhelming amount of energy slowly dwindling from the ship. Everyone stopped as the ship's main doors opened, the silhouette of a man appearing in the smoke billowing out from its interior.

"No, no, no!" Vegeta screamed, breaking free from Piccolo and Tien and charging for the ship, a ball of energy forming in his hand, "You bastards should be dead!"

Vegeta stopped as the figure walked out of the smoke, giving the Saiyan a good look at him. The man sported teal skin and long orange hair that fell down his back. Behind him appeared two more sporting similar appearances, one a man and the other a woman.

Vegeta stood frozen in confusion as the other z-fighters passed him by, heading down to check on the ship's inhabitants. "But that's not…" Vegeta stumbled confusedly.

Krillin stopped when he heard Vegeta speak. "What was that?" He asked.

"It's..." Vegeta said, "It's nothing. Let's just go."

* * *

Bujin and Kogu stood atop one of East City's taller buildings, the whistling air mingling with the sounds of the busy city. Cars passed by beneath them as they leaped across the buildings as they scouted the area.

"Hey, Kogu," Bujin said, "Mind if we find something to eat quick? I haven't eaten since we left Planet Fuyu."

"Sure thing," Kogu said, leading Bujin to one of the nearby buildings, "I think I just found a perfect meal."

Down below them Roshi trodded along the sidewalk, large bags of groceries in each hand. The duo descended into a nearby alley to wait for the old man, appearing from behind a corner as he approached.

"That's quite a bit of food you have there," Bujin said.

"Yeah, I have to buy in bulk," Roshi laughed, "I'm only allowed in the supermarket once a month. Apparently, you're 'not allowed to open the products' and arguing that its a quality test is 'being a disturbance.' Last time I try to buy diapers for Krillin's kid."

"What?" Kogu asked confusedly, "Nevermind, actually. We were just wondering if you could spare something small for us to eat."

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Roshi said, "I have to feed myself, a turtle, and a small family. I can't afford to give these out."

"Please, sir," Bujin pleaded.

"Boys, I do feel sorry for you," Roshi said, "But I just can't afford it. However, if you head back down this street and take the second left, you'll come across a soup kitchen. Tell 'em that Jackie sent you and they'll see that you're fed."

"Okay," Bujin and Kogu said, their heads hung low as they walked away. As Bujin passed by Roshi's bags, he snatched some food from the top of the stack and took off, Kogu following closely behind.

"Oh, you're those types of people," Roshi sighed before racing off after the duo.

As Roshi turned the corner, Kogu and Bujin popped out of the alley, having jumped over the building when they got out of sight. "Too easy," Kogu said as he grabbed one of the bags, "This'll be enough to feed all of us for weeks."

"Yeah," Bujin said, his mouth stuffed with food, "Good eating to us."

The two began laughed as they walked away, bumping into Roshi as they turned the corner. "Now what kind of person steals from an old man and laughs about it," He said, his eyes piercing through the both of them.

"H-hey, man," Bujin stuttered, "We're sorry, okay. It's just that we're so hungry and-"

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, kid," Roshi said as he cracked his knuckles, "Troublemakers like you need to be taught a lesson."

"W-What are you gonna do?" Bujin asked.

"Oh come off it, Bujin," Kogu said, "What could this old-timer possibly do to us?"

Roshi smirked before quickly grabbing Kogu's arm and bending it behind his back, causing him to grimace in pain. "You should know this old-timer has more than a few tricks up his sleeve."

"Why, you!" Bujin growled as he charged at Roshi.

The hermit spun to face him and pushed Kogu forward, knocking him into Bujin. The two fell to the ground as Roshi ran forward, grabbing the backs of their clothes and picking them from the ground.

"I could continue if you'd like," Roshi said, turning his head from side to side to look at both of them.

"N-no," Kogu said, "I think we got it."

"Good. Now, why don't you two sit here and think about what you've done," Roshi said.

He knocked the duo's heads together and let go, Bujin and Kogu crumpling to the ground. Roshi turned and grabbed his bags, mumbling to himself as he trodded off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:** _**A Long Dead Alliance**_

The ship's inhabitants sat up against some rocks while the Z-Fighters tended to their wounds, Krillin and Yamcha rushing off to Korin's tower to pick up some senzu beans. Vegeta kept an eye on each of them, watching for any sudden moves they might make. He noticed the taller one staring him down as well, a tensed look in his eyes.

"Again, we're incredibly sorry," Gohan said.

"It's alright. There's no need for an apology," the older one said, "It doesn't surprise me. What with a giant ship entering your atmosphere unannounced."

"Still," Gohan said.

"Please, do your best not to worry about it," he replied before getting to his feet, "Now, I do believe introductions are in order. I am Bido, and these are my friends, Zangya and Bojack. There are two others, Bujin and Kogu, but I sent them out for supplies just after we entered the atmosphere."

The Z-Fighters took turns introducing themselves, Vegeta reluctantly giving his name when it came to him. Yamcha and Krillin returned soon after with the senzu beans, handing them to the trio as they introduced themselves as well.

"If you don't mind, what brings you to Earth?" Piccolo asked.

"We were running low on supplies and this was the nearest civilized planet," Bido said, "Although, now we might need some more materials to get the ship running again."

"We can run and get some things for you. Master Roshi did just buy groceries, so we should have some extra food for you. I'm sure he wouldn't mind sparing a bit of food," Krillin said, " Tien, 18, mind coming along? The more hands the better."

"Sure thing," the two agreed.

"That's very kind of you," Bido said, "However, there's still the matter of our ship."

Gohan thought for a second before turning to Vegeta. "Do you think Bulma could lend a hand, Vegeta?" he asked.

"It's possible. She's certainly smart enough," Vegeta replied hesitantly, "But then again, this is alien technology."

"Well, we won't know unless we ask her," Gohan said.

Vegeta shot a cutting look at Gohan, sending a chill down the young boy's spine. Gohan stood his ground and returned the stare. The two Saiyans stood in silence for a second before Gohan spoke up.

"It's the least you could do to repay them," he said.

Vegeta grit his teeth before looking away with a huff. "Fine," he said, "But since it's your idea, you're coming with me."

"Fine with me," Gohan said.

"I'll stay behind to help with the ship," Yamcha said, "There might be something easy to fix up by hand."

"I'll stay too," Piccolo said, "I'd like to get to know some more about these guys."

"Thank you all for your help," Bido said. The two groups took off, while Bido turned to Zangya and Bojack, "Bojack, why don't you head with... Yamcha, was it? You two head down to the engine bay and see if anything can't be fixed."

"Got it, Bido," Bojack said, "It's this way." Bojack and Yamcha disappeared around the corner of the entrance as they made their way to the engine room.

"And if you would follow me, Piccolo," Bido said, leading Piccolo and Zangya through the ship's entrance, "Zangya, would you mind putting on some tea?"

* * *

Gohan and Vegeta rushed through the sky toward West City, the wind whipping around them as they sped forward. Vegeta noticed Gohan staring him down but chose to ignore for as long as he could. By the time they got halfway to Capsule Corp, the tension between the two forced Vegeta to stop, surprising Gohan.

"What's the matter, Vegeta?" He asked.

Vegeta stared forward in silent concentration for a second before turning to Gohan. "The taller guy, Bojack. He's from the Children of Hera," he said, "A race I know I eradicated years ago."

"So? You've killed off loads of races, haven't you?" Gohan asked, "Didn't you do it for a living?"

"Yes. I did," Vegeta replied, "But that was a personal matter."

"What happened between you two?" Gohan asked.

Vegeta stared at him for a second before turning away. "Years ago, back before both of our planets were destroyed, the Saiyans and the Children of Hera were close allies," He started, "We frequently joined forces on missions outside of Frieza's hand. Personal matters like trade convoys and expeditions to outer planets. Stuff Frieza didn't bother doing, so we did."

"So why would you destroy their planet?" Gohan asked.

"We had a few points of defense in our alliance. One, if one of us came under attack, then the other would come to our aid, and two, if one knew of an attack on the other, then they'd give a warning. Those were the important ones," Vegeta continued, "However, a few months after my planet's destruction, I was looking through some old messages and found one to the Chancellor of the Herans from the Frieza Force. The Frieza Force didn't have to threaten them or bribe them, they willingly went back on our alliance. Those bastards knew what was going to happen months in advance and didn't bother to even warn us."

"So you took it upon yourself to destroy them," Gohan sighed.

"All ties were cut at that point," Vegeta said, "I owed them nothing but death." He scowled and furrowed his brow in anger before relaxing again. "But something wasn't right back there. Those other two look like that Bojack guy, but they don't seem like the Children of Hera at all. They don't have the energy that Bojack does. Nor do they even seem to recognize a Saiyan. Not even the Saiyan prince."

"Should they?" Gohan asked.

"We were very close allies, don't forget," Vegeta said, "We frequently would visit each other outside of missions. The citizens knew everything to do with each others' government. Any Saiyan would recognize a member of the Heran Parliament and any Heran would recognize a member of the Saiyan Royal Family."

"So do you think they're from the Children of Hera?" Gohan asked.

"Bojack is, no doubt about it," Vegeta replied, "The other two I'm not sure about. That Bido also said there were others with them, so maybe they could give a clue."

"But that'll need to wait," Gohan said, "For now, can you promise to act nicely around them? Just until we know for sure?"

"I'll play along for now," Vegeta agreed, "But be warned, you are putting my wife in there, and if anything happens to her, then you are going to end up much worse than they do."

"I understand," Gohan gulped.

"Good," Vegeta said as he readied himself for a dash to Capsule Corp, "Then let's get going."

* * *

Yamcha crumpled to the floor at Bojack's feet, a bloody gash in the back of his head. The Heran let the pipe in his hand fall to the floor as he lifted the Z-Fighter over his shoulder, the metal clanging resonating through the engine bay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: **_**The Other Side of The Coin**_

Bujin and Kogu slowly limped through the ship's halls, holding their wounds as they made their way to the living quarters.

"Boy, was that a mistake," Bujin groaned, "Who knew the old guys on this planet were so strong?"

"And so fast," Kogu winced, "I didn't even see him grab my arm."

Kogu and Bujin heard the sound of talking as they approached the entryway, turning into the room to see Piccolo and Bido at the table. Bido lowered his cup of tea from his lips and saw the duo out of the corner of his eye.

"You two look terrible," He said as he got up from his chair, "Take a seat and relax."

"No, no, it's fine," Kogu replied.

"I insist," Bido said, "I've run out of tea, so I have to get up anyway."

Bujin and Kogu looked between each other before sitting at the table, Bujin pulling a chair over to sit down next to Kogu. Bido grabbed the kettle from the stove and refilled his cup, asking if the duo wanted any. Kogu politely declined while Bujin accepted, Bido grabbing a cup from the counter and filling it.

"Would you like any more, Piccolo?" Bido asked as he set Bujin's cup in front of him.

"I have plenty, but thanks," The Namekian politely declined.

Bido set the kettle back on the stove before pulling over a chair and taking a seat. Just as he settled into the chair, an alarm went off, Bido jumping from his seat.

"Is something wrong?" Piccolo questioned, moving to get up from his seat.

"It's nothing to worry about," Bido reassured him, "Just a routine check. Why don't you three introduce yourselves while I'm gone?"

With that Bido left the room, tapping a button on the wall as he left to stop the alarm. The three remaining stared awkwardly at each other before Piccolo cleared his throat to break the silence.

"The name's Piccolo," He said, extending his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Piccolo," Kogu replied, awkwardly shaking his hand, "I'm Kogu, and this is my younger brother Bujin."

"Nice to meet you," Bujin said, shaking Piccolo's hand.

"You're brothers?" Piccolo asked.

"Last time I checked," Kogu laughed.

Piccolo stared back sternly at Kogu, causing him to awkwardly stifle his laugh. He sat back in his seat while Bujin sat forward.

"Do you have any siblings, Mr. Piccolo?" He asked.

"You can just call me 'Piccolo,'" The Namekian answered, "And no, I don't. I'm an only child."

Bujin relaxed into his chair while Piccolo spoke up again.

"So how'd you meet Bido and the others?" He asked.

Kogu and Bujin looked uncomfortably between each other while shuffling awkwardly in their seats.

"It's a-" Kogu sighed, "It's a long story."

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine," Piccolo said.

"No, it's okay," Kogu piped up.

He got from his chair and walked over to the other side of the room. He shuffled through a trunk before walking back to the table and handing Piccolo a photo.

The photo depicted a large group of people standing in front of a large castle-looking building. Four small children stood in front, Kogu holding a small Bujin in his arms with Zangya and Bojack on either side. Behind them were their parents, a younger Bido caught in a headlock by a burlier man. They were all laughing and smiling when the picture was taken.

"All of our parents were friends since they were young," Kogu said, "Bido was the only one who didn't have kids of his own."

"So where are your parents now?" Piccolo asked.

"Dead," Bujin answered quietly.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Piccolo consoled.

"It's fine," Bujin reassured him, "Bido was there to take care of us."

"Is it okay to ask about your guys' past?" Piccolo questioned.

"Not a problem," Bujin responded, "Kogu, you know more than me."

"Well, to begin, all of our parents were members of Parliament," Kogu started, "Bido was the only one out of their group that didn't work for the government, so he would watch us while Parliament was in session. About thirty-five years ago we received a warning from the Frieza Force that our planet was going to be destroyed, and that they were acting to stop the threat."

"And I assume that didn't happen," Piccolo interjected.

"Obviously not," Kogu continued, "We found out years later that Frieza allowed our planet to be destroyed. He manipulated a Saiyan of all people to do the job for him."

"A Saiyan?" Piccolo asked.

"Yeah," Kogu sighed, "Our people were close allies with the Saiyan's before our planets were destroyed. Turned out Frieza had been trying to turn us against each other for years. The destruction of Planet Vegeta finally allowed him to do so."

"So how'd you guys survive?" Piccolo asked.

"Well," Kogu continued, "Our parents didn't trust the Frieza Force at all. They told Bido to take us far away from the planet, and he did. It was a huge risk they took, considering that message was confidential information, but it turned out they were right."

"So who's Bido to you?" Piccolo asked.

"He raised us," Bujin chimed in, "That's all."

"But all of us are extremely grateful for it," Kogu interjected, "We all love him as if he were our father."

"But I could never take that place," Bido interrupted as he reentered the room, "My respect for my friends is too high."

Bido walked over to his old seat and took a sip from his tea before closing his eyes and dumping it down the drain. "It's cold." He stood at the counter with his eyes closed for a few more seconds before letting out a deep sigh.

"I owe them far more than what I've paid them back," Bido sighed, refilling his cup with hot tea.

He took a seat at the table and looked over the photo, his gaze lost deep in the past. "I begged them to come with us, but they had their duties to serve." He took a sip of tea and slumped down in his chair.

"Two days after we left we got word that our planet was destroyed," Bido explained, "We managed to make a few friends that had connections to the Frieza Force, so we got it straight from the horse's mouth.

"It wasn't long before we learned that Prince Vegeta was responsible for what happened. We spent years tracking him down, purely for revenge. And right when we had him in our grasp, we found out what really happened.

"Our contact had made his way up to the intelligence board and found some old messages regarding us. Turns out one of them had been altered, warning us of Planet Vegeta's demise rather than our own. He spent some time looking into it and found some old recordings of Frieza's conversations, one of which was between him and Prince Vegeta regarding the message. Another confirmed he had the message altered."

"So what'd you do after that?" Piccolo asked.

"We stopped hunting down Vegeta," Bido responded, "Vegeta didn't know we were alive, and we didn't see it having any worth anymore. So we traveled out of the Frieza Force's influence and lived life."

"So what are you doing on Earth then?" Piccolo inquired.

"We never found a place to settle down," Bido explained, "We didn't want to be around if Vegeta found us, so we kept moving from planet to planet. We were hoping this planet might've helped us restock on supplies. We had no idea you guys would shoot us down, or that Vegeta would be here."

"Well, you can blame Vegeta for your ship," Piccolo said, "The people here on Earth were scared, but I don't think any of them would've tried attacking you."

"Sure," Kogu scoffed, rolling his shoulder.

"Without reason," Piccolo added.

Kogu and Bujin glanced at each other before awkwardly laughing and sinking in their chairs. Bido quickly chimed in, diving further into their life on the road, Bujin and Kogu adding in sporadically. Bido cleaned up the table while Kogu and Bujin told stories of their own, smiling as he watched the two of them laugh through their jokes.

"And then Bujin tripped over one of the cabbages and faceplanted into the cart itself," Kogu laughed, his eyes tearing up, "The guy was furious as he watched his cabbages go flying all over the market. It took us forever to find them all again."

Kogu wiped the tears from his eyes as they heard a knocking come from the entryway, Zangya peering in at them. "Sorry to interrupt storytime, but that Krillin guy and his friends are back."

"Well let's go welcome them in," Bido said as he got up from the table.

* * *

Outside, Krillin, Tien, and 18, all with bags under their arms, stood with Roshi outside the main doorway, waiting for Zangya to return.

"I better not be giving my groceries away for nothing," Roshi complained, "Don't forget that I have to feed you three, plus Chiaotzu, Turtle, and the kid."

"Don't worry, Master Roshi," Tien said, "Chiaotzu and I won't be staying long. Plus, we know of some good restaurants in East City, so we can eat there from time to time."

"I still got four other mouths to feed," Roshi continued to complain, "But then again, I could just feed Turtle some seaweed or fish. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

18 rolled her eyes as Bido stepped through the doorway, followed by Zangya, Bujin, Kogu, and Piccolo. "Guys, they're back."

"Welcome back, Krillin and friends," Bido said, taking notice of Roshi, "May I ask who your other friend is?"

"Oh, that's Master Rosh-" Krillin started.

"Those are the two that tried mugging me earlier!" Roshi interrupted, pointing out Kogu and Bujin.

"What?" Bido questioned, glancing back at the duo.

"Hey man, we were just hungry, okay," Bujin explained nervously sinking into the ship.

"Yeah, we asked if you could spare a bit of food first," Kogu continued.

"And I said 'no,'" Roshi recalled, turning to Krillin, "You want to give up some of _my_ food to a couple of wannabe thieves?"

"Master Roshi, sir, please calm down," Bido pleaded, "I will take full responsibility for their actions and make sure they are punished properly. Bujin, Kogu, go inside. Now."

Bujin and Kogu stared nervously at Roshi before sulking past Piccolo into the ship.

"I'm sorry for their actions," Bido said, "If you want to keep your food, that's fine. We'll find a different way to get food."

Roshi thought for a second before sighing. "As long as those two are taught some manners, keep the food. I won't punish a decent fellow like you."

"Thank you," Bido said, bowing his head.

* * *

Far past the doorway, Bojack lurked around a corner, watching Bido and the others through the opening. As Kogu and Bujin entered the ship, Bojack dipped back around the corner, disappearing deeper into the darkened ship.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: **_**From The Shadows**_

"Welcome back, Mr. Vegeta," The receptionist beamed as Vegeta and Gohan entered the main lobby, "If you're looking for Mrs. Bulma, she said she would be in the second-floor lab."

Vegeta walked past without a glance while Gohan quickly thanked the receptionist before catching up with Vegeta. He looked back at the staircase as they passed it by, a concerned look on his face. "Didn't she say Bulma was in the second-floor lab?"

"We don't _have_ a second-floor lab."

Gohan continued to follow Vegeta to the main lab, his confusion growing with each second. He watched as Vegeta walked over to the operating table and reached beneath it, pulling something towards him. Gohan stepped back as a section of the wall shifted away, revealing a staircase leading underground.

"Bulma and her father had this built after you beat Cell," Vegeta explained as he led Gohan down the stairs, the panel closing behind them, "It was meant to be a bunker in case someone like Cell showed up again, but Bulma's mainly been using it for storage."

Gohan's face grew in awe as they reached the bottom of the stairs. The bunker was far bigger than he was expecting, almost three times the size of the main lab. It was fully kitted out for a large group of people to live, as well as holding a smaller lab off to the side.

Gohan was knocked out of his awe-struck trance as Icarus plowed into him, knocking him to the floor. He struggled to get the dragon off of him as Icarus excitedly licked his face. "It's good to see you too, Icarus," he laughed.

"Icarus, here boy!"

The dragon perked up at the voice before hopping off of Gohan and running away. Gohan picked himself up and saw Icarus kneeling at his mom's feet, Chi-Chi scratching behind his ear. "Go find Goten for me, boy."

Chi-Chi watched as Icarus ran off before approaching her son, embracing him tightly. "You're okay," She cried.

"Of course I am, Mom."

"Gohan!" A voice cried from across the room.

Gohan tilted his head to look past his mom and saw Goten come running towards him, Gohan picking him up as he wrapped his arms around his brother. "Gohan, this really big and scary ship flew overhead and then Vegeta and Yamcha started flying and it was so cool." The young boy frantically explained.

"Sounds like you've had quite the day," Gohan chuckled.

While Gohan continued to chat with his family, Vegeta went to find his own, spotting Trunks lounging on the couch.

"Trunks!" He yelled as he came up behind the couch, startling his son, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm just relaxing, Dad," Trunks explained.

"Have you been training like you're supposed to?" Vegeta questioned him.

"I don't have the time, Dad," Trunks explained, "Mom has been having me move all of the boxes that were here into another room."

"You don't have time?" Vegeta asked, "Trunks if you have time to lounge around then you have time to train."

"But, Dad-"

"No buts," Vegeta cut him off, "Two hundred pushups."

"Dad, I-"

"Now!"

Trunks sighed and dropped to the floor, starting his pushups as Vegeta watched him, not noticing Bulma coming up behind.

"You can take it easy on him, Vegeta," She said, "He's still just a kid."

"Any Saiyan child can easily do two hundred pushups," Vegeta replied.

"He's only half Saiyan, don't forget."

"Bulma, on the other side of this room is the half-Saiyan who killed Cell," Vegeta retorted, "And both Frieza and his father were killed by the future Trunks."

"And that Trunks came from a destroyed world where you were dead."

"And in this one, I'm not," Vegeta remarked, "So he's going to get true Saiyan training and be even stronger."

Bulma sighed as Gohan approached the duo, asking to pull them aside. He explained the situation to Bulma, who stared in shock at the events.

"And you're okay with this, Vegeta?" Bulma asked.

"Of course I'm not," Vegeta remarked, "But this will buy us some time to know for certain if they're all from the Children of Hera, and why they came to Earth."

"And what if they are?" Bulma asked, "What if they're up to no good?"

"Then we deal with them," Vegeta replied, clenching his fist.

"Although, one of them is stronger than Cell," Gohan chimed in.

"What?!"

"But it's nowhere near as evil as Cell's," Gohan explained.

"And besides, we're all strong enough to take him down no problem," Vegeta smirked.

"That is true," Bulma remarked, "I guess I'll go then. If it means the difference between saving the Earth or not, then I don't really have a choice."

"Thanks, Bulma," Gohan said.

"But what about Chi-Chi and the kids?" Bulma asked, "What do we tell them? We don't want them to panic."

"I'll think of something," Gohan said, "You two go ahead and I'll catch up."

"Alright," Bulma said, "Let's get going then, Vegeta."

* * *

"Again, I'm sorry for Bujin and Kogu," Bido apologized again to Roshi, "I thought I had raised them better than this. If I had known they would try to rob someone, I would have sent Zangya or even Bojack."

Roshi grabbed a box of cans from Tien and lifted it onto a shelf, not turning to Bido as he spoke. "Don't worry about it," He grunted, "After seeing the trouble you guys are in, I think I can find it in my heart to forgive the youngsters."

As Roshi stepped away from the shelf, he saw Bujin lose his footing on the counter he was standing on, struggling to put another box of cans on a shelf. Roshi made a dash towards him as he fell, the box's contents spilling out. In a few quick moves, he helped Bujin land on his feet while catching each of the cans in a separate box.

Bujin stood stunned for a second as Roshi set the box on the shelf and turned away. "That was amazing," Bujin exclaimed, his eyes widening, "I wish I'm that nimble when I'm your age."

Roshi paused and looked back at him. "Kid, I've had well over three hundred years to hone my skills."

Bujin stared shocked as Roshi turned away and walked back to Bido, the older man clearly as shocked. "You're not really over three hundred years old, are you?" Bido asked.

"You calling me a liar?"

"No, not at all," Bido stuttered, "It's just... very few races can live that long, and I didn't know your kind was one of them."

"Well, you're right," Roshi confirmed, "Under normal circumstances, no, we don't live this long. I'm not a normal case, however."

Bido stared back at him for a second before his attention was caught by Zangya. "Bido, have you seen Bojack recently?" She asked.

"No, I haven't," Bido replied, "Is something the matter?"

"Well, I haven't seen him since we landed earlier," Zangya explained, "I'm worried something might have happened to him."

"Zangya, you know Bojack is far tougher than that," Bido reassured, "Besides, he seemed fine when he went to look over the ship."

"Speaking of," Tien chimed in, "Didn't Yamcha go with him? I haven't seen him since then either."

"They might be having some trouble deeper in the ship," Bido supposed, "It's also where we keep the engines, so there might be some serious damage down there."

"If it's Yamcha down there, then I'll go look for him," Roshi said, "He isn't exactly the toughest jadeite in the ring."

"I'll go too," Tien said, "You wanna come as well, Krillin?"

"I'll stay here and continue to help out."

"I'll go," Bujin piped up, "You'll need someone to show you the way."

"If Bujin goes, then I'll go too," Kogu said.

"You can stay, Kogu," Bujin said, "I can handle this on my own. It's just showing them to the deeper parts of the ship."

"Then it's settled," Bido exclaimed, "You three go looking while the rest of us continue unpacking these supplies."

* * *

Bojack watched from a vent as Roshi, Tien, and Bujin left for the deep ship before quickly making his way back to his hideaway. He smirked as he grabbed Yamcha and slung him over his shoulder, carrying him down to the engine room.

"They seem to care about you," He said to the unconscious Yamcha as he slumped him next to a steam pipe, "And listening to them gave me an idea."

He twisted the pipe to build up the pressure, putting a small hole in it to allow some of it to escape. "Three birds with one stone," He muttered, "Although I'll have to be careful with Bujin. Wouldn't want him to be injured."

He finished his work before disappearing back into the vents, crawling into a room far enough away, yet close enough for a clear shot at the pipe. Making sure he had the shot, he pulled over a chair and began to wait. "Any friend of Vegeta is an enemy of mine," He growled.

* * *

Bujin pushed open the door to the engine bay and led the group inside, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "It's way too hot in here," He panted, "Something has to be wrong."

"Why don't we split up?" Tien suggested, "Master Roshi and I can look for Yamcha while you look for whatever's causing this much heat."

"Smart idea," Bujin said.

The trio went off in separate directions, Bujin making his way to the upper deck. Below, Roshi and Tien scoured the room for any signs of Yamcha, crawling over and under pipes looking for him.

Tien wrapped his way around corners until he felt himself almost slip. He moved his foot and looked down, spotting a pipe beneath him. He picked it up and looked it over, taking note of its bent end, dried specks of blood spotting the bend. "That's odd."

"Hey, Tien!" Roshi called out, "I found Yamcha. Get over here! Quick!"

"On my way!" He rushed over to the sound of Roshi's voice, spotting Yamcha against the pipe. A gash crossed his forehead, dried blood plastering the wound. He bent down and held the bent pipe next to Yamcha. A look of shocked realization crossed his face before he stood back up and turned to Roshi.

"I think Vegeta was right in shooting this ship down."

"Guys, get away from the pipe!" Bujin's voice rang through the engine bay, "That pipe is ready to blow!"

Tien heard the sound of energy charging a second before grabbing Yamcha and Roshi and diving away from the pipe. He saw a flash of energy before he hit the ground, the pipe exploding behind him. Chunks of metal flew everywhere, catching his leg and cutting it up badly.

"Are you okay, Tien?" Roshi groaned as he sat up.

"I'm not sure," Tien panted as he pulled himself behind a box, "My leg got cut up pretty bad."

Roshi moved over to take a look at Tien, pausing at the sight of his leg. Chunks of metal stuck out of Tien's leg, blood gushing from the wounds and missing patches of skin. Roshi ripped off his shirt and tore it into a long strip, wrapping it tightly around Tien's leg. "Keep that covered."

Roshi got to his feet and leaped over the box, leaving Tien to care for himself and Yamcha. The engine was in flames, Roshi shielding his face from the heat. He made his way up towards the door until he was far enough from the flames to put his hand down. He stood still for a second before taking a deep breath and shooting at the vent above him. Roshi stepped back as it came collapsing down, taking a stance at the sight of Bojack in the rubble.

"How did you know?" Bojack groaned, getting to his feet and taking a stance.

"Son, I've been at this for three hundred and some years," Roshi explained, "You'd have to try a little harder to sneak past me. Now are you gonna come at me, or are you going to try another cheap trick?"

The two stared each other down, their energies mixing in the gaze. Bojack leaped backward as he charged his energy, a bluish-green aura surrounding him.

"What a silly mistake," Roshi smirked as he charged his energy as well, "I see you still have so much to learn. Allow me to teach you." A clear aura surrounded him as he grounded himself, ready to counter anything Bojack through at him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: _Stifled Power_**

Alarms blared as the ship shook violently, smoke quickly filling the halls as those onboard scrambled for an exit. _Warning! Warning! Critical Failure of Engine One Detected!_

Bido rushed through the ship's entrance and out to the open air. The rest of the group followed directly after, falling to the ground as they caught their breath, smoke pouring out of the ship.

"Did everyone make it out?" Bido asked between coughing fits, "Somebody take a headcount."

Zangya quickly took count of everyone, noting Kogu's absence to Bido.

"He probably ran to find Bujin," Bido coughed, staggering to his feet, "We have to find him."

Zangya ran over to him as he fell to his knees in a coughing fit, placing his arm over her shoulders and hoisting him up. "We'll worry about finding Kogu, you need to rest and catch your breath."

"We should move away from the ship," Piccolo chimed in, "There are some rocks overlooking the ship that should be far enough away in case something happens."

After a short flight up to the rocks, the group gathered around and began to discuss their plan, Piccolo excluding himself to fly over the ship and look it over.

"If Kogu went after Bujin that means he's heading for the engine bay," Bido began, "If that's the case, there's a good chance we can find your friends as well." He quickly drew a map of the ship in the dirt with five arrows scattered around. "The arrows point to each of the entrances. We came out of the east exit here. If you circle the ship and head for the southwest exit, it should put you almost directly in front of the engine bay."

"What do we do when we find them?" Krillin asked, "I mean, look at the smoke. It won't be easier to get in there, and it'll be even harder to find our way out again."

"I can handle the exit," Bido explained through a coughing fit, "You guys just have to find the others and can leave the rest to me."

"There's been a change of plans," Piccolo interrupted, dropping down next to the group, "At least for now."

One by one, Roshi, Tien, and Yamcha were lifted over the side of the rocks, each one unconscious and badly injured. Bujin pulled himself onto the platform and fell flat on his back, breathing heavily as he stared into the sky.

"Guys," He panted, "We have a big problem."

* * *

Roshi ducked and dodged past each of Bojack's attacks, the Heran breathing heavily as he took each swing. Tien watched the fight intently as Bujin cared for his leg, removing bits of metal and covering the wound with some cloth.

"How's it looking?" Bujin asked, pulling out the last of the metal and wiping his leg clear of blood.

"Bojack hasn't landed a hit on Roshi," Tien narrated, "Which is probably for the best considering the massive power difference between them."

Bujin rested his hand on Tien's leg and shot glistening strings up through his skin, forming a mesh over each of his wounds. "That should keep the bleeding down until you can get some proper care." He wiped the blood from his hands as he turned to watch the fight. "He isn't fighting back?"

"He can't," Tien explained, "Bojack's far stronger than Roshi is. A punch from Roshi would do nothing to him. My guess is he's trying to tire Bojack out while conserving his energy."

"And I guess a punch from Bojack would wipe Roshi out?" Bujin questioned.

"Exactly," Tien replied, "If he gets Bojack tired out he might be able to narrowly overpower him."

"And if he can't?"

"Then we have to hope the others find us quickly."

Roshi danced around Bojack as the Heran began to slow down, beads of sweat flying from his face. "Is dodging all you know how to do, coward?" He panted.

"Of course not," Roshi chucked as he landed in front of Bojack. He ducked beneath the Heran's punch and took a deep breath. His arm swelled in mass as his muscles grew, a light aura lining his arm. He drove his fist into Bojack's gut, sending him flying through the ship's walls into another room. "Is that good enough for you?"

A few seconds passed before the rubble on top of Bojack began to rumble, the Heran tossing it aside as he got to his feet, a green aura flaring around him as his body grew in size. His eyes quickly flashed with energy as he threw his hands in front of him, a ball of energy forming in front of his palms. He fell to one knee as he poured more energy into it, the ball growing in size.

"I guess not," Roshi said as he leaped up onto a remaining engine. His body lined with aura as his entire body swelled with muscle, his arms thrown to one side. A bright blue ball of energy flashed inside his palms as he gathered his energy. "Ka…. Me…. Ha….. Me….."

"That's not good," Bujin yelped. He grabbed Tien and Yamcha and pulled them into the control room, the large window giving them a view of the fight. "Let's hope the window does its job and holds against that blast."

"HA!"

Bojack stumbled back as he fired the ball at Roshi, the hermit launching his own attack to counter it. The two attacks met in a flash of light, Bojack's attack slowly pushing towards Roshi. The shockwave shattered the window, shards of glass flying into the room at the trio. Tien and Bujin watched as beads of sweat began to drip down Roshi's face, the hermit beginning to struggle against the clash. Roshi staggered back before finding a nook to anchor his foot, holding him in place as he pushed more energy into his attack.

Roshi's Kamehameha overpowered Bojack's attack, consuming the energy and shooting straight at the Heran. Bojack stared straight down the beam as it barrelled towards him, the light reflecting in his eyes as it neared. Tien and Bujin stared on as the beam shot straight through the ship, exiting out the bottom and plowing into the earth.

When the energy disappeared, Bojack was nowhere to be seen, a massive hole taking his place. Tien and Bujin were in shock as Roshi shrunk to his normal size and stood at the edge of the engine. "He killed him," Bujin gasped.

Tien stared down the remaining hole before he felt a massive spike of energy come from Roshi's direction, snapping his head to the side to see what it was. Bojack had appeared behind the hermit, a large ball of energy aimed at Roshi's back. "ROSHI, BEHIND YOU!" He yelled, the hermit turning around to face behind him.

As Roshi turned all the way around, Bojack shot the ball of energy into his chest, the force sending him flying off of the engine. As he flew away from the engine, Bojack quickly moved behind him again, planting his knee into his back and launching back towards the engine. The Heran raced to catch up with Roshi, grabbing the hermit's head as his feet hit the floor, deforming the metal as he moved along. Using his momentum, he threw Roshi at the engine, a ball of energy formed around his head. The engine exploded as soon as Roshi came in contact with it, black smoke filling the room and pouring into the rest of the ship.

* * *

Kogu raced through the halls of the ship, his shirt lifted over his nose to filter the smoke. His vision blurred with water as the burning smoke filled his eyes, his breaths getting shorter and shorter. He collapsed against the wall as his legs gave out, unable to breathe in the smoke-filled ship. One thought raced through his mind. _I have to get to Bujin._

Leaning on his sword for support he made his way to the engine bay, faint green and red lights illuminating the smoke. Fumbling his way to the control room, he felt along the control panel for the ventilation switch. The room quickly cleared of smoke as it was sucked through the vents, revealing the wounded Tien and Yamcha and a collapsed Bujin next to Kogu.

"Bujin, hey," Kogu sputtered, picking up his brother and shaking him around, "Bujin, please be okay…"

Laying his brother back down he started pumping on his chest, short spurts of breath passing through Bujin's lips. Bujin's eyes slowly started to open with Kogu stepping back as he shot up, his brother flying into a vicious coughing fit. While Bujin caught his breath, Kogu moved over to check on Tien and Yamcha, making sure they were both still breathing.

"Thank you, Kogu," Bujin gasped, "Where're Bido and the others?"

"Outside," Kogu explained, "I came to make sure you were okay. Where're Bojack and Roshi?"

Before Bujin could answer the question another explosion went enough, rumbling the ship once against. Kogu got to his feet and readied his sword, a cloud of smoke obscuring his vision.

"Who's there?! Come out where I can see you!"

Kogu's grip on his sword slackened as he saw faint bits of green light flicker through the smoke, the sword slipping from his hands as the smoke fully cleared. Bojack's aura flared in all directions, his hair floating around his head. The back of Roshi's shirt was clumped in his fist, the hermit hanging at his sword. Roshi's head was covered in burn marks, his beard completely singed.

"Bojack?" Kogu hesitated, the shock quickly disappearing from his mind. He grabbed his sword and brandished it again. "Let him go!"

"I was done with him anyway," Bojack growled.

Kogu dropped his sword as Bojack tossed Roshi at him, the Heran planting his feet to catch the hermit. He rested Roshi on the ground and placed his fingers on his neck. "It's faint, but he still has a heartbeat." Pulling Roshi up along the wall, he began patching any wounds he had, as well as wrapping his torso tightly with string to keep it steady.

His eyes shifted away from Roshi as he heard heavy steps crunching the glass behind him. He grabbed his sword and shot to his feet, swinging the sword around to aim its tip at Bojack.

"Back away, Bojack," He ordered.

"You're defending him?" Bojack chuckled.

"Why wouldn't I?" fumed Kogu, "He's done nothing wrong, yet you're trying to kill him."

"Nothing wrong?!" Bojack exploded, his aura flaring, "He's harbored the man responsible for everything we've been through! Everything we've lost! Him and his friends!"

Kogu stared back into his friend's eyes with anger before a look of realization slowly crossed his face. "This is about Vegeta."

Bojack faltered for a second. "You know I hate him as much as you do, Bojack. I will never forget when I first heard the news of our planet's destruction," Kogu assured him, "But I will not take that anger out on the innocent. These people had nothing to do with our home's destruction."

Bojack's body loosened for a second, his aura becoming fainter as he relaxed. As Kogu went to drop his sword Bojack's aura once again flared outward, his body stiffening up. He grabbed Kogu at the throat and lifted him into the air, Kogu's sword clattering to the ground.

"I will not allow anyone to stand in my way!" He roared.

"Kogu!" Bujin yelled as he charged at Bojack, strands of glistening string flowing from his hands.

Bojack pulled his free arm up to cover his face as Bujin whipped the strings at him, the strands hooking into his skin. Bojack twisted his wrist and grabbed the strands in a bundle, pulling his arm back and sending Bujin launching towards him. As the strands disappeared, Bojack extended an open palm and caught Bujin in the chest and flipped him over his head. Bujin flew through the air and landed on his feet, preparing to charge Bojack a second time.

While Bojack was focused on Bujin, Kogu managed to wrap a set of strings around the hilt of his sword, dragging it back up to his hand. The moment he wrapped his fingers around the hilt he swung the sword upwards, slashing Bojack across the chest and arm. Bojack dropped Kogu and staggered back, blood dripping down his front.

Bujin came rushing up to Kogu, taking a stance at his side, ready to attack. "What's the plan?"

"You need to take those three and find the others," Kogu replied, not taking his eyes off Bojack, "I can distract him for long enough."

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself," insisted Bujin.

"Bujin, look at my sword," Kogu directed. The side of the blade that had cut into Bojack was chipped and bent, a similar pattern shown on Bojack's chest. "I didn't even hit bone and that's what happened to my sword. If both of us stay here to fight, then all five of us are at risk. You have to get Roshi and the others to safety."

Bujin paused for a second before nodding. "I'll need some cover."

"No problem."

Bujin dashed for Roshi and the others as Kogu charged Bojack, his sword drawn back ready to strike. Bojack countered the blade with his arm and drove his fist into Kogu's gut, sending him flying back. Bojack quickly turned towards Bujin and charged up a blast before letting it fly. Bujin stared at the attack with fear, his trance breaking as Kogu leaped in front of it, disappearing into a cloud of smoke as it exploded.

"KOGU!" Bujin yelled.

There was dead silence before the sound of Kogu's sword hitting the floor echoed through the room. Bujin felt his heart rise into his throat as the smoke cleared to reveal Kogu still on his feet, albeit bloody and with ripped clothes.

"Just get going, Bujin," Kogu panted as he bent down to pick up his sword.

Bujin stared in shock for a second before closing his eyes and shaking his head. He tied Roshi, Tien, and Yamcha tightly in strings and lifted them into the air, blasting a hole in the ship to make his escape.

"You're more resilient than I thought," Bojack smirked.

"No," Kogu scoffed, "You're just not as strong as you think."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:** _**Blood Run Dry**_

Flames licked at the heels of Bojack and Kogu as they stared each other down, the light of the flames glinting off Kogu's sword. A thick tension had formed between them as Bujin disappeared over the cliffs, Roshi, Tien, and Yamcha in tow.

Bojack crossed his arms and smirked, his face illuminated by the flames. "You're more resilient than I thought."

Kogu shifted his footing and ready his sword. "No," He scoffed, "You're just not as strong as you think."

The smirk dropped from Bojack's face as he took a stance, the duo circling each other looking for an opening. Bojack stopped as soon as he saw Kogu shift his foot again, the swordsman swinging his blade towards Bojack's side.

The Heran easily parried the blade with his arm and drove his fist into Kogu's chest. Kogu's sword flew from his hand as he slammed into a wall, a large dent forming on impact. He dropped from the wall and fell to his knees breathing heavily.

"I assure you I'm very confident in my strength."

Kogu's head felt light as he moved to get back on his feet. "I wouldn't be."

Bojack charged at Kogu and grabbed his head, slamming him into the dented wall. Blood began to drip from the corner of Kogu's mouth as Bojack began to punch him repeatedly in the torso, driving the dent deeper and deeper.

"Just. Stay. Down!" Bojack roared with each blow, driving Kogu through the wall.

Kogu rolled across the floor, hitting the wall of the opposite room. He spat out blood as he forced himself onto his hands and knees, blood trickling down his chin. He wiped his face clean as he got to his feet, staggering forward before forcing his back onto the wall.

"Stay down, Kogu," Bojack demanded.

Kogu spat blood and stared Bojack directly in the eyes. "I refuse."

"Then have it your way," Bojack growled as he balled his fist.

Kogu leaned against the wall unable to move as Bojack made his way across the hall to him, his fist clenched tightly. He closed his eyes as Bojack brought his fist back, aiming directly for Kogu's head.

* * *

"They'll be fine," Bido said as he sat straight up, "They're beaten up pretty bad, but there's nothing here that can't be healed." Wrapping his hand around Tien's wounded leg, a faint light began to glow beneath his palm, the torn flesh sealing itself together. "You said it was Bojack that did this?" He asked as he continued along the trio to heal their wounds.

"Yeah," Bujin sighed, "You're taking this surprisingly well, Bido. I thought you'd be a bit more bothered by this all."

"Bujin, what I show and what I feel are different," Bido explained, "If these three weren't in such bad shape, I'd be absolutely furious that Bojack would attack the innocent. But I have to keep my composure if they're to get any better. Healing requires heavy concentration."

"Sorry," Bujin apologized as Bido moved away from the trio and over to him.

"There's no need to apologize, Bujin," Bido assured him as he moved Bujin's shirt away from his chest, "Well, nothing's broken, but you're pretty badly bruised. Mind explaining what happened here?"

"Well, I went to get Bojack to drop Kogu, but he caught me in the chest and flipped me over his head, " Bujin recalled, "It only really became a problem once I got away from the ship."

"Well, I don't think it'll be too much of a burden for you. You'll need to rest for a day at most, but it'll be like it never even happened afterward," Bido assured.

"Thanks, Bido," Bujin said, "But Bojack's strength is still worrying. It's unlike anything we've ever seen. I'm concerned Zangya and the others won't be able to hold their own against him."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Bido chuckled, "Zangya may not be the strongest of the bunch, but we both know she could easily take down any of us with her wits alone. As for Piccolo, he has a lot of strength built up in him. Almost like he has the power of three men."

"That's reassuring, but there's still one thing bothering me," Bujin said, "Bojack didn't go after them randomly. He wanted revenge."

"Nonsense, Bujin," Bido scoffed, "Why would he want revenge against these three? This is the first time we've ever been to this planet."

"He's trying to get to Vegeta, Bido," Bujin interrupted.

"Not possible," Bido countered, "He moved on from it. Like all of us. We worked past it together."

"It came from his mouth, Bido," Bujin said, "Bojack said that they were protecting Vegeta. That's why he went after them. He's going after Vegeta's friends to get to him."

Bido stood silent for a second before letting out a sigh and bowing his head. "If what you say is true, then Zangya and the others are in more danger than I thought." He stepped onto the edge of the bluff and stared down at the ship, powerful clashes of energy resonating inside. "Stay here and look after these three. I won't be long."

"I just want you to come back safe," Bujin said.

"I will," Bido reassured him.

Before Bido could take a step off the bluff, the ship disappeared into a ball of fire, a cloud of smoke shooting into the air. The sky darkened as the smoke spread over the wasteland, only the flames illuminating the area.

* * *

The hovercar carrying Bulma and Vegeta shook as they neared the wasteland, the plume of smoke visible from the distance. As they flew under the cloud of smoke, Bulma pressed a button on the dashboard and a covering unfolded over the top of the car.

"I've never seen smoke do this thick before," Bulma said, fiddling with the intensity of the headlights, "Even the brightest setting can't light this place up."

"No," Vegeta murmured, "This smoke isn't the only reason." He unbuckled his seat belt and got ready to exit the car. "Turn around and try to find your way out. There's no reason for you to get any closer."

Bulma nodded and Vegeta quickly ducked through the car door, leaving a trail of energy behind him as he took off. As the energy dissipated Bulma turned directly around and drove off, hoping to find a way out of the smoke.

* * *

Kogu opened his eyes and stared directly into Bojack's, a disheartened look staring back. His fist was embedded in the wall next to his head, only a few inches away.

"Why?" Bojack muttered, "Why would you risk your life for them?"

"I already told you, Bojack," Kogu replied, "They have nothing to do with what happened to our planet. They're innocent people, and I won't allow them to be punished for what Vegeta did."

Bojack pulled his fist out of the wall and stood straight up. "They are keeping him safe. He hasn't atoned for what he did."

"You don't know that, Bojack," Kogu pleaded, "It's been forty years. Anything could've happened."

"Nothing could've happened either," Bojack retorted, "And Vegeta's still alive and breathing."

"Bojack, it's been _forty years_," Kogu pleaded, "Do you really think this is all worth going through? After what the five of us have done, you're willing to throw that away for _this_? Something that happened _forty years ago_? Bojack, do you honestly think that any of us have forgotten what happened? Do you know how much we wanted revenge for it? Do you know how long it took us to move on? Please, Bojack. Just move on."

"Maybe you're right," Bojack sighed, "Or maybe you've no idea what you're talking about!" His energy exploded around him, knocking the air out of Kogu's lungs. "I lost everything I cared about that day. In the blink of an eye, it was gone. That isn't something you can move on from."

"We all lost what we cared about that day, Bojack," Kogu gasped, "And we were all able to move on."

"Then you never truly cared in the first place," Bojack growled.

For the first time today, Kogu felt fear run down his spine, a chilling sensation shooting through his body. For the first time in a very long time, his heart dropped from his chest with sadness, leaving an empty feeling where it was. He stared back at Bojack, a total stranger to the man he knew.

Kogu blinked and Bojack was sent flying down the hall, a green blur rushing past him to catch up with the Heran. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as dark figures appeared in his view, muffled voices filling his ears.

"Kogu," A familiar voice said faintly, "Kogu!"

He shook his head as a sharp ringing shot through his head, his vision clearing as he looked up. Zangya, Krillin, and 18 were gathered in front of him, hurriedly shaking him trying to get his attention.

"Zangya?" Kogu asked.

"Kogu!" Zangya proclaimed, pulling him up into a hug, "Thought we had lost you there."

"I'm still breathing," Kogu chuckled.

Zangya looked him over with a worried look, her worry mixing with anger as she saw the extent of his wounds. "What did he do to you?"

"More than I can explain," Kogu replied.

Zangya's worry dropped from her face as she stood up, replaced fully with anger as she turned towards the fight between Piccolo and Bojack. "Can you two do me a favor and take him back to Bido?"

"Don't try fighting him, Zangya," Kogu pled, "That's not the Bojack we know."

Zangya stood in silence with her back to Kogu before looking back at him over her shoulder. "Than I won't regret this later."

* * *

Bojack grabbed Piccolo's arm midswing and slammed him into the wall before picking him up and driving him into the floor. He kicked Piccolo in the chest, flipping the Namekian on his back. Piccolo rolled away just in time as Bojack brought his foot down over his head, a large dent forming on impact. Piccolo flipped onto his feet and shot out an energy blast. Bojack shot at it with his own, the attacks exploding on impact. Bojack barreled through the smoke towards Piccolo, the Namekian unable to move in time. Two glistening strands of energy shot out from behind Bojack and latched onto his arm, pulling it back and away from Piccolo.

Zangya flipped through the air over Bojack and shot another strand into his other arm. With some quick movements, she danced her way around Bojack and tied him in the strings, his entire body enveloped in a cocoon.

"That'll buy us some time," She said as she pinned the cocoon to the wall, "Let's get out of here."

The two took off running down the hall as Bojack struggled against the cocoon, his eyes flashing with energy as he broke free. His skin began to turn green as he charged his energy, his hair turning red as it began to float around him. He extended his palm and shot down the hall at the duo, the green light illuminating the hallway as it flew forward.

Zangya looked over her shoulder at the rapidly approaching blast before turning her head to face Piccolo. "This hall branches off to the right just up ahead. You need to be ready before we get there."

"Ready for what?" Piccolo questioned.

"Just brace yourself," Zangya replied.

As the two got nearer to the hallway, Zangya grabbed Piccolo's arm and extended her right arm to the side. "Hope you're ready."

A long strand of energy shot down the hall and embedded itself into the wall. Zangya shortened the string and the duo shot suddenly to the right, the ball of energy narrowly missing them as it continued to fly down the hall. The duo slammed into the wall as Bojack swung himself around the corner, the two quickly getting to their feet and taking off down the next hall.

Zangya slashed open the pipes as they ran, steam shooting out and filling the hallway. As they passed the engine bay, Zangya stopped and ducked inside, yelling at Piccolo to go on ahead.

* * *

Bojack cleared the steam away with his aura, getting a quick glimpse of the engine bay doors swinging shut. "Hoping to sneak away through the engine room, do they?" Bursting through the door into the engine bay, he came face to face with Zangya, the female Heran standing with her hands on her head.

"Is this what you want, Bojack?" She asked, "You want me to give up and accept it?"

"Do you really think I'm a fool, Zangya?" He growled, "I've known you too long to believe you'd give up this easily. So what do you plan to do now? Is Pikkon or whatever his name is going to try and jump me when I approach you?"

Zangya tightened her fist as Bojack neared her, an energy strand connected to a rock outside through the hole Bujin used to escape. As Bojack passed the center of the room he activated a tripwire Zangya set up, the series of pipes in the room getting slashed open as the strings retracted, shooting Bojack with hot steam.

Bojack once again cleared the steam with his aura as a set of strings shot at him from all directions. Bojack dodged out of the way and charged a ball of energy, his sights aimed directly for Zangya. "You really do take me for a fool!"

"Of course I do, Bo," Zangya said as she pulled on her escape strand, "You've always been one."

Bojack realized too late what Zangya was in front of, his attack flying straight towards her. Zangya shot out of the ship through the hole in the wall, giving Bojack a clear shot of the main engine. Bojack stood in awe for a second as he realized that the pipes leading from it had all been shut, the pressure building up in them almost to bursting.

The engine exploded in a giant ball of fire, the remaining engines exploding in a chain reaction. A blast of fire shot out of the escape hole, sending Zangya flying into the rocks harder than she expected. The fire engulfed Bojack as the rest of the ship went up in flames, sending a cloud of smoke shooting into the sky.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:** _**Pointless Revenge**_

Bido stared out at the sea of flames where his ship once stood, its light blanketed by the ever-growing darkness spreading from the ship. Bido reached out and caught something fluttering towards him, its right side engulfed in flames. Flipping it over, he realized it was the last picture he had of his home, the last picture he had of his friends and family laughing beside him. He stared his pictured self in the eyes as the memento turned to ash, the young Bojack being the last thing to go. "You'd really go this far?"

He let out a deep sigh and hopped down from the bluff he was standing on, making his way back to the cave they had moved to after the explosion. As he neared, the sound of yelling filled his ears, hurrying Bojack into the cave. Coming to a quick stop at the entrance, he stared in confusion at the debacle.

Vegeta was screaming angrily as he tried to break free of Piccolo and 18's grasp, the duo struggling to hold him back. Krillin took a stand between him and the three injured Herans, the trio in complete awe of the spectacle.

"If you don't let me go right now, I will blast you back to Planet Namek, Greenman!" Vegeta growled as he struggled to break free.

"Try it, Vegeta, and this whole place will come down on top of us," 18 exclaimed.

"And when they find our bodies, you'll have some use as the next appliance you become!" Vegeta yelled.

"That's my wife you're talking to, Vegeta," Krillin said angrily as he stepped up to the Saiyan.

"Oh really?" Vegeta mocked, "I guess I must've missed the wedding of the cue ball and the refrigerator!"

"What is going on here?" Bido exclaimed, the entire cave going silent.

Vegeta slipped away from 18 and Piccolo and approached Bido, jamming his finger into his chest. "I step away for only an hour and I come back to your ship in flames and three of my acquaintances halfway to Otherworld. And right now, the only thing stopping me from sending you to meet them is the fact that I still don't have answers."

Everyone stood in silence as Bido and Vegeta stared each other down, their expressions unfaltering under the pressure of the other. "I already told you; we were running low on supplies and wanted to make a stop here to restock."

"Of course you were," Vegeta growled, "That explains why one of your men is currently displaying a power strong enough to destroy the planet."

"First of all, he isn't 'one of my men.' I don't have underlings," Bido said lowly, "Secondly, you of all people should know that Herans have no interest in destroying planets, Vegeta."

"Maybe not by your hand, but you seem to have no problem letting others do what they please."

"Thirty-seven years and it still hasn't crossed your mind Frieza lied to you," Bido growled, "I've heard the tales of what happened on Namek all those years ago, Vegeta. How you were there trying to kill him yourself after years of suffering. And yet you aren't able to piece together that he manipulated that message. We were told our planet would be destroyed. It wasn't until years later that we found out he had it changed to look like he had told us he was going to destroy Planet Vegeta."

Vegeta's expression relaxed slightly before he stood down, Bido turning from Vegeta and walking back towards the cave entrance. "Now if you excuse me, there're bigger problems to deal with."

As Bido stepped away, Vegeta clenched his fist and brought his arm back, preparing to strike Bido from behind. In one quick movement, Bido turned on his heel and caught Vegeta's fist, a small shockwave kicking up the dirt around them. "We are not your enemy, Vegeta," Bido said calmly. He brought Vegeta's arm down before letting him go and taking his leave from the cave.

Vegeta stared him down before turning to face Piccolo, who had planted his hand on the Saiyan's shoulder. "Whether you choose to believe him or not, Vegeta, understand that those three back there aren't much older than you are. They were only children."

Vegeta looked back at the three Herans, the injured trio sitting together in a corner of the cave. The Saiyan let out a heavy sigh before leaving the cave, disappearing into the dust storm waiting outside.

* * *

Gohan flew as quickly as he could through the dust storm, using his energy to cut a path through the clouds. The massive amount of energy radiating through the wasteland completely overwhelmed any familiar energy in the area. "Where could they be?" Gohan muttered to himself.

After what seemed like ages of flying, Gohan spotted a dull light off in the distance, zooming off to go find out what was causing it. Landing in front of a cave, he shielded his eyes from the bright light as he made his way inside. Bulma's car was still running, its headlights shining at max power, though Bulma was nowhere to be found.

"Hello? Anyone in here?" Gohan asked warily as he made his way deeper into the cave.

As he passed the side of the car, a sharp war cry sounded from behind him, the Saiyan quickly turning and catching the wrist of whoever had made it. Gohan dropped his assailant's wrist when he realized who it was. "Bulma?"

"Oh, Gohan. It's you," Bulma said as she dropped a rock from her hand, "Sorry for trying to beat you over the head."

"It's alright," Gohan assured her, "What are you doing in this cave?"

"I got lost trying to find my way out of this storm," Bulma explained, "My GPS went on the fritz, and I don't even know if I got turned around or not."

"And I don't suppose you know where Vegeta went?" Gohan asked.

"Most likely to the ship you guys were talking about. Though I don't suppose that's much of a help," Bulma mused. She thought for a second before hurrying over to her car and pulling the GPS out. "Maybe this'll help? It kept pointing to the same place whenever I tried rerouting it. Maybe that's where he went?"

"Well, it's the only thing we've got," Gohan said as he took the GPS from Bulma. Turning it on, it almost immediately routed itself deeper into the storm, its screen flickering in pulses. "Bulma, stay here for now. If this storm doesn't blow over, we'll come back to get you."

"Fine with me," Bulma agreed, setting herself up against the car as Gohan rushed from the cave and took off.

* * *

Bido was lost in thought over what he could do about Bojack when he heard heavy footsteps approaching him, turning to see who it was. "If you're here to try your hand at revenge again, just know it won't end well for you," Bido declared as Vegeta loomed over him.

"Listen, Bido, I still don't believe your story, but Piccolo made a good point," Vegeta explained, "I won't take my anger out on those three in the cave, they were just kids." Vegeta put up his hand as Bido cracked a smile, the Heran's expression quickly changing. "You, on the other hand, are old enough to have had a seat in your Parliament," he continued, "But you're right, there are bigger things to worry about."

Bido sighed and stood up to face Vegeta, the two locking eyes once again. "I was a scientist, Vegeta. I was working on research that would benefit the medical field," he explained, "I received funding from Parliament. I had a few friends who worked there, none of which worked in either the Transmissions Department or the Defense Department. Those were my only connections to Parliament."

"I'll take your word for now," Vegeta said, the duo taking a knee on the edge of the bluff, "What are we up against?"

"It's Bojack," Bido explained, "From what I've been told, he hasn't gotten over his desire for revenge against you."

"So he went after those other three weaklings?" Vegeta asked.

"He assumed you were friends and wanted to use them to get to you," Bido replied.

"All he had to do was ask for me," Vegeta scoffed, "So what's stopping us from going in there?"

"The first thing stopping _me_ from going in there is that I'm not sure how close I can get without getting maimed," Bido explained, "_You're_ not going anywhere near him."

"And why's that?" Vegeta huffed.

"Because the best-case scenario for that situation is that one or both of you die, and nobody is getting killed on my watch," Bido shot back.

"And how are you going to stop me?" Vegeta chuckled.

"With force, if I have to," Bido warned, his eyes flashing with energy as he stared Vegeta down.

"Fine," Vegeta growled, "I'll stay back. But if anything happens that you can't deal with, I'm putting an end to it."

"Well don't be too ready," Bido said, turning back towards Bojack and his ship, "The second problem is this storm. It's difficult enough getting close without getting maimed. This dust storm doesn't help with knowing how close you actually are."

"Well, I don't know how well you can see it, but your answer is right in front of you," Vegeta said, pointing towards the ship, "There's a massive ball of energy over that way. If I had to guess, I'd say that's what's kicking up the storm."

"If that is the case, then it shouldn't be a hassle to deal with," Bido said, "As long as I can get relatively close and provided with an opening, I can deal with that energy."

"The question now is: who's even got a chance of getting close enough to create an opening?" Vegeta mused.

"I believe that might be our answer," Bido said, pointing to a distant figure zooming quickly through the distance.

Straining his eyes to see, Vegeta focused in on the figure, trying to separate its energy from Bojack's. "Is that…" he mumbled, "Gohan?"

"The child from earlier?" Bido asked.

"Yes, him," Vegeta said, his stare focused intently on Gohan, "Whatever you're going to do, you'd better act fast because that distraction won't last long."

"Of course," Bido replied, "And what are you going to do?"

"I'll try to buy you some more time," Vegeta said.

* * *

Gohan shot through the storm, narrowing in on the end of the GPS path. "They've got to be around here somewhere," He muttered.

Gohan squinted his eyes as he saw a faint glow in front of him. "That must be them." He put the GPS away and sped up, rushing towards where the light was coming from.

He came to a sudden stop as the light began to rapidly grow in size, a massive spike of energy rushing through him. Gohan narrowly dodged the ball of energy, the attack shooting off into the storm and causing an explosion somewhere in the distance. Turning back around, he froze in fear as hundreds of lights began to shine through the storm, each of them rapidly growing. He felt something grab his ankle and yank him downwards just as the attacks shot through the dust, flying narrowly overhead.

"You okay, kid?" A familiar asked him as he composed himself. Gohan looked up to see Piccolo standing over him, Vegeta standing just off to the side.

"I'm fine," Gohan gulped, "What was that?"

"_That_ was Bojack," Vegeta answered. The Saiyan's eyes narrowed as another ball of energy came flying towards them, Vegeta pushing Piccolo and Gohan off to the sides as he jumped into the air. "We need to buy Bido time," He yelled out, "Either until this dust storm stops or he comes to find us."

Piccolo and Gohan nodded in understanding as the trio scattered in different directions, flying frantically around to catch Bojack's attention while dodging his attacks.

* * *

Bido stood atop a bluff overlooking Bojack, the wind whipping violently around him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, pressing his fingertips together while keeping his palms apart. He cleared his mind and let the energy around him flood his senses, the image of the swirling mass of energy below appearing in his mind.

He opened his eyes and began to move his hands in sync with the energy's rotation. He gradually began to slow his movements, the energy beginning to slow down to match him. As the energy slowed to a crawl, Bido took a breath and brought his hand above head. He brought it down in one quick swipe and split the sphere down the middle, the edges rippling as the energy dissipated, killing the storm in the process.

"And now for the hard part," Bido sighed, an air of melancholy around him as he took off towards Bojack.

* * *

Piccolo, Gohan, and Vegeta regrouped atop a nearby rock pillar as the storm began to die down, the trio incredibly winded as one collective ball of energy flew towards them. They braced themselves as the attack neared, its deafening buzzing filling their ears.

An expression of shock crossed their faces as the attack suddenly stopped mid-air, hovering dangerously close to the pillar. Their eyes shot to follow it as the attack abruptly started plummeting to the ground, creating a large crater where it landed.

"You three should go back to the others and rest," Bido said as he dropped behind them, "I can handle it from here."

Bido dropped from the pillar to face Bojack as the trio flew off, Bido's face filled with disappointment. Bojack's muscle mass had grown to twice its normal size. His skin had turned light green while his normally orange hair had turned crimson red and began floating around his head.

"Words can't describe my disappointment right now, Bojack," Bido said as he tossed off his vest, leaving him in a black tank, "Though I am impressed, keeping your desire for revenge hidden from me for the past forty years."

"I kept nothing hidden from you," Bojack retorted as he dropped from the air onto his feet, "You chose not to recognize it."

Bido took another deep breath and readied himself. "Well then," Bido sighed, "I guess I have another mistake to correct."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**_**Memories Part 1**_

"I didn't expect you to challenge me so soon," Bojack said, The Herans' auras clashed as they approached each other, the lights mingling around the other as they merged. "You've never really been the one to face your problems with violence."

"While I do try to solve things peacefully at first, I have no problem getting my hands dirty when it comes to it," Bido stated, "Especially when it comes to doing what's right."

"'Doing what's right,'" Bojack mocked him with a sneer, "After all these years we finally have the bastard responsible for destroying our planet in our grasp, and you want to defend him? That's what you believe is right?"

"You ignorant child! Have you forgotten that Frieza manipulated those messages?! Don't you realize that Vegeta was a child when his planet was destroyed as well?" Bido yelled, "Vegeta was a child filled with an easily manipulated anger. And while that doesn't completely excuse him, I won't punish him for things he had little control over."

Bido slowly approached Bojack, the Heran shifting his footing to get ready to fight. "But you, Bojack, took it upon yourself to not only attack the innocent people of this planet but also to nearly kill your own family in the process."

"My family was killed long ago by that bastard," Bojack growled, his aura flaring as he discretely charged a ball of energy in his palm.

"If that's the way you see it, fine. But I don't share that viewpoint," Bido said, "Family isn't just the blood that runs through your veins. Your family is those who have stuck beside you when you've been at your lowest and continued to stay as you reached your highest. The four of you are _my_ family, just as your parents were. And that's what makes this incredibly difficult."

"Bido," Bojack said, a feigned hint of regret in his voice, "You should've stayed out of my way." He quickly rushed forward as he swung his arm around, ready to blast Bido from point-blank. In one swift movement, Bido knocked Bojack's arm upwards with his palm, the Heran's locking eyes for a second, a look of shock filling Bojack's face. Bido quickly planted himself and drove his fist into Bojack's torso, sending him flying into a rock spire, the structure collapsing on top of him.

"We both know how this will end, Bojack," Bido said.

Bojack's laugh was muffled as his arm broke through the rubble and pushed the rocks off of him. "Of course we know how this will end," he laughed as he got to his feet. He slowly began to hover just off the ground, his energy spiking higher and higher as he spoke. "I'm going to make sure you won't get in my way again, then I'm going to put down Vegeta like the dog he is."

Bido closed his eyes and let his energy build inside of him while making out Bojack's incoming shape in his mind. "If that's what you wish," he sighed. Without opening his eyes, Bido dropped onto his back and flipped over his head, kicking Bojack beneath the jaw.

Bojack staggered back as Bido landed on his feet. Bojack quickly gathered himself and charged at Bido, the elder Heran easily dodging and deflecting his attacks. Still having his eyes closed, he deflected one of Bojack's punches and drove his palm into his chest, knocking him back.

Bido flinched as Bojack's energy spiked again, the mental image of Bojack's figure seemingly melting away as his power rose. Streams of energy flowed around in a vague shape that neared Bido, the Heran struggling to make out the details. Opening his eyes in frustration, he stepped back in shock as Bojack was nowhere to be seen.

A sharp pain shot through Bido's head, his vision going blurry as he fell to the ground. He felt something grab him and fling him into the air, followed by a heavy blow to his back and gut, the air being forced from his lungs. Bido felt himself go into freefall as he plummeted back to Earth, a deep crater forming where he smashed into the ground.

"You had the choice of not getting involved," Bojack's voice echoed faintly in his ears. Bido could barely make out Bojack's figure looming over him, his vision swirling and blurry. "You could've stayed out of it and let me do what needed to be done. Then we could've gotten what we needed, repaired the ship, and left."

Bojack grabbed Bido's collar and lifted him into the air. "But you just had to get involved," He growled as he charged a ball of ki. Letting go of the older Heran, Bojack quickly extended his arm and shot him in the chest, sending him flying away from him. He rushed to meet him and slammed him into a cliff face, Bido's body embedded in the rock. "Now sit tight."

The world spun around in Bido's eyes, the sounds around him a muffled echo in his ears. He tried to focus as Bojack was sent flying away from him, a flash of green and gold chasing after him. He recognized the dull sensation of being pulled from the rocks and carefully being set on the ground.

"Bido? Bido!?" The familiar voice grew fainter and fainter as his vision began to dim. The feeling of the energies around him began to disappear as his vision went dark. Suddenly, a voice he hadn't heard in a while shot through his head. His eyes shot open as he jolted upright, his head spinning as he tried to gain his bearings.

"Bido!" The voice yelled at him, "Mom and Dad have been worried sick about you! Next time you decide to disappear, at least have the decency to leave a note!"

Bido was sat under a tree atop a hill, the area around him circled with budding flowers. An odd sense of remembrance shot through him as if he was trying to remember something but couldn't. "_This is Old Kall's Hill back on Hera_," His thoughts echoed, "_I used to study the effects of ki here before going to college_." His body seemed to move on his own as he turned to face the source of the voice, almost reeling at the sight of a young woman standing over him.

"I'm sorry," His body said on its own, "I just wanted to study in privacy. I'll remember to leave a note next time."

"You were studying? Looks to me like you decided to take a little nap under this tree here," the woman chuckled, "Though I have to admit, this is a pretty nice place to fall asleep."

"Yeah," Bido sighed, "You know this work takes a lot of effort to pull off and leaves me tired out."

"What? Being a gardener?" The woman laughed as she sat down next to him, "Be honest with me. Do you _really_ think this is worth all the effort?"

"Hey, if the number one college on the planet is willing to sponsor this study then of course it's worth the effort," Bido said, looking the woman dead in the eyes, "Besides, I don't see you putting in much effort towards your work, Kyo."

"Fair point," Kyo said as she got up from the ground, "Now get up. Mom's had dinner ready for close to an hour now waiting for you to get back."

"An hour?" Bido exclaimed as he got to his feet, "Why didn't you come tell me sooner?"

Kyo rolled her eyes as she walked away, Bido quickly rushing to catch up with her. Everything seemed to blur as the two walked away, shifting to a scene of Bido and a group of others hurrying down the hall of a hospital, room numbers flashing before his eyes. They came to a stop just outside the last room in the hall.

"_Room 710_," Bido thought to himself, "_That's the room Kyo was in after giving birth._"

The younger Bido lightly tapped on the door as he leaned closer to it. "Kyo, it's me, Bido," He said, "I gathered the rest of the gang as you asked. May we come in?"

He stepped back as somebody was heard approaching the other side of the door. The handle turned and the door opened very slightly, a pair of eyes peering through the crack. "Sorry sir, we aren't allowed to let visitors in right now," A gruff voice answered, "Something went wrong with the pregnancy and the baby came out with some extra limbs."

"Oh, Ken, let them in," Kyo's voice was heard from behind the door.

"Whatever you say, boss," The voice replied. The eyes narrowed for a second before the door shut again. What sounded like someone pretending to unlock several locks was heard on the other side of the door before it swung open. Bido's brother-in-law, Ken, was standing on the other side with his hand extended to stop them. "Now you're gonna have to be quiet in here. The baby just fell asleep."

The group nodded as they filed in, taking up spots around the room as Ken counted each body as they entered. After everyone had filed in, Ken shut the door and took his seat on the opposite side of Kyo's bed from Bido and his parents.

"So, Bido," Ken started, his voice returning to its normal laid-back style, "How does it feel being an uncle?"

"Nowhere near as special as being a parent must feel," Bido said.

"You got that right, Beads," Ken chuckled.

"So, have you decided on a name for her yet?" Their friend Kesa asked.

"Not yet," Kyo replied, "Though we have narrowed it down to either Yaban or Zangya."

"Well, both of those are beautiful names for such a beautiful baby girl," Bido's mother said, "Do you mind if I hold her?"

"Just be careful," Kyo said as her mom scooped the baby from her arms.

"I've raised two kids of my own without dropping them, don't forget," her mother joked as she sat back down next Bido and his dad. Bido looked down at the baby cradled in his mother's arms as the memory began to blur, more distant memories quickly passing by.

"_Shizu gave birth to Kogu two years later, followed by Kesa giving birth to Bojack after another two years,_" Bojack narrated as the memories passed by, "_I graduated college later that year, and Dad passed away the following summer. Shizu gave birth again to Bujin the following year. Surprised that Kyo announcing her first parliament job isn't here. All of us were overjoyed that she finally found something she enjoyed. Then the rest of the gang followed in her footsteps. But what does this all mean? Why show me it?_" The memories came to halt back on Old Kall's Hill, the area under the tree turned into a small picnic area where the gang and their kids had gathered for lunch.

"So my department's now swamped with extra work because the harbormaster had some rookie with no experience in finance put the numbers on their file. Kid misplaces one decimal point and suddenly that whole industry is on the verge of bankruptcy," Ken ranted, "I mean, stuff like this has happened before but never to this extent. And my higherup won't let me send a dedicated accountant down there to manage their finances. Maybe this time she'll listen to me." Ken took a sip of his tea and let out a sigh. "But anyway, that's all I've really got going on. What about you, Bido? How's your work coming along?"

"In terms of our findings, absolutely fantastic. In terms of our dealings with the Science Department, there aren't enough words to describe how much I despise the prick who heads it," Bido grunted, "He's going to pull our funding if we can't produce 'adequate findings.' Let me say this: the next time I see him in person, I'm going to shove my 'adequate finding' up his ass. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to pull out the stick he has stuck up there?"

"That's rough," Kyo said, "If you want, I can try to talk to my department's head about sparing some funds for the project."

"Kyo, you can't do that. Do you know how bad it would look if a member of the Board of Education wanted to divert the department's funds into her brother's work?" Bido said, "Besides, I have a meeting scheduled with the biggest name in healthcare who is willing to throw some funding behind the project. If everything goes well, we'd be set up in funding to last us well into the next few decades."

As Bido finished his sentence, his phone started to ring. "One second," He said, getting up from the table as he pulled his phone to his ear, "Hey, Rika, I thought you went out for lunch. Why're you calling from the lab?"

"Bad news, Bido," Rika's panicked voice came through the phone, "One of the department heads showed up with a bunch of goons. They're trying to take a bunch of our equipment. Says it's government property since they're the ones who funded it."

"That's bullshit and he knows it!" Bido exclaimed, "Don't let him leave the lab. I'll be there shortly."

"I'll try to stall for as long as I can," Rika said, followed by a short beep as she hung up.

Bido quickly returned to the table and gathered his things. "Sorry to cut this short, guys," He apologized, "That asshat of a department head has come looking for his 'adequate findings,' so I better get down there." He took off running before the gang even had time to say anything, making a beeline straight for the lab.


	10. Chapter 10

_It is age 772. 5 years after Cell's defeat and 2 years before the Great Saiyaman Saga starts. For major characters' ages, from youngest to oldest, Gohan is 15, Bujin is 38, Vegeta and Bojack are 40, Kogu is 42, Zangya is 44, and Bido is 65. If you want to know the ages of other characters, just ask._

_Also, Kogu says it's been close to 40 years, and in chapter 8 Bido says it's been 37 years since Planet Hera was destroyed. This is a mistake I failed to catch. Hera was destroyed two years after Vegeta; I counted the wrong way and made it 37 when it should be 33. Please pardon my mistake._

**Chapter 10:** _**Memories Part 2**_

Bido was left staring into the darkness as the memory blurred into nothing. A quick blur of Bido bursting into his office and arguing with the department head played, their muffled voices filling his ears as the younger Bido reached to grab the department's head.

"This isn't some game for you to play!" The younger Bido screamed as his voice faded away, the scene shifting to the younger Bido leading a group of suit-clad men down the halls of his lab.

"I truly am grateful for the interest you've shown in the project," Bido said as he unlocked a door at the end of the hall.

"I should be thanking you for allowing me to visit," The boss chuckled, "From what I've heard of this project, it would be a tremendous benefit to the medical field as a whole. And as the CEO of the leading company for medical aid, I feel as though I am required to aid in your research."

"It's an honor just to have you visit," Bido said as the door opened, "Now if you would be please follow me."

Inside, the room was filled with various plant specimens growing from wall to wall, a small group of four studying the plants intently. "This is where our research truly got its foothold," Bido explained, "As you no doubt have heard, our research focuses on the effects of ki within living organisms. All of the plants you see around you have been grown by speeding up the flow of ki within them. Unfortunately, as you'll see, this process of growing is more so _age _acceleration than _growth_ acceleration."

Leading them to the end of the room, the group gathered around a small table with a pot of dirt in its center. "Allow me to demonstrate," He said as he pulled out a small bag of seeds and planted them in the dirt. He grabbed the sides of the pot and closed his eyes, visualizing the flow of energy within the seeds.

The group watched in awe as several flowers quickly sprouted out of the dirt before wilting just as fast. Bido opened his eyes and stepped away, an assistant stepping over and removing the pot. "What those four are studying is the possibility of bypassing the aging process and focusing solely on accelerating growth. If they manage to find success, then our research will greatly benefit the agricultural industry as well as the medical field," Bido said as he led the group into another room, "Though I assume you're more interested in its medical properties."

The group stepped into the lab's medical bay, Bido asking those within to make some room. "You may be wondering why we have to use the medical bay for this demonstration," Bido began, "Unfortunately, this process isn't one hundred percent fault-free. Some inner parts can be misaligned and need to be readjusted quickly. That's why for safety purposes we're going to keep things small. Just keep in mind that this is one of, if not our biggest, breakthrough so far." He stepped over to the intercom and radioed for Rika to come to the medical bay.

"As much as I hate to ask this, would you please allow the doctors to make the cut?" He asked her. Rika looked at the group of businessmen before stepping over to the table. She placed her arm flat on the table and looked away while biting her lip.

"What we've managed to discover is a way to bypass the body's natural scarring mechanism and allow it to completely and fully regenerate cells," Bido said as he grabbed Rika's hand. With a nod to the doctor, a long, deep cut was made along Rika's arm, the Heran stifling a pained yelp as she squeezed Bido's hand. The cut was quickly covered to slow the bleeding, and the two moved over to stand in front of the group.

"Normally, this type of cut would take quite a while to close, and even then it would leave a nasty scar," Bido said as he uncovered Rika's arm. He closed his eyes and visualized Rika's energy, running his hand over the wound. The gash slowly began to stop bleeding and soon began to close shut, leaving no visible mark that it had ever been there.

"As you can see, this process can perfectly heal wounds and leaves no trace of it ever having happened," Bido explained, "Rest assured, our studies have shown that this can be used on more extensive injuries, but we have yet to determine its effectiveness on injuries such as missing limbs."

"Astounding," The boss gasped, "You say you have yet to determine the effectiveness, but you have tested it on such?"

"Yes, we have been in contact with local hospitals and working with patients who are willing to go through the process," Bido replied, "It's the more complex structures of limbs such as arms and legs that are preventing us from fully determining its effectiveness. If you wish to see our progress on the matter, I could get in contact with one of our patients and ask if he is willing to show the process."

"That would be grand," The boss said, "You've already convinced me that this project is worth the funding, but if this process is capable of full regeneration, I may be inclined to donate an entire lab's worth of equipment and personnel to the cause."

"I highly suggest against sending personnel," Bido blurted out, piquing the curiosity of the boss, "You see the reason there are so few people working here is because of a potentially dangerous side-effect to the process. Every scientist was handpicked by me based on their moral integrity."

"Might I ask why?" The boss questioned.

"When healing wounds, you develop a certain level of control of the ki within that person's body. That level of control can be used for less than savory purposes," Bido answered, "While we don't know the full extent of control one can assume, we do know that it is enough to potentially alter certain systems such as memory capabilities."

"I see," The boss sighed, "Still, your work is too important and beneficial to ignore. I'll honor your wishes to not send any personnel here."

"Thank you," Bido said.

The room faded away as the memory disappeared, leaving Bido alone once again as more memories flashed by. "_The following two years up until the destruction of Planet Vegeta were filled with progress. Thanks to the funding we received from that visit we were able to hasten our studies on limb regeneration, being able to almost exactly regenerate the lower half of a patient's leg. When Planet Vegeta was destroyed, the project was put on halt for half a year in memoriam and then our doctors were reassigned to the hospitals due to the increase of patients emotionally affected by its destruction, some expressing it in more harmful ways,_" Bido's thoughts echoed, "_The only staff we had left were me, Rika, and two other scientists. Rika wasn't around much due to having family and friends visiting Vegeta at the time of its destruction, and the other two scientists eventually lost motivation to continue working on the project, so it was only me around in the end. Then came the day Kyo broke the news of Hera's impending destruction._"

The front of the parliament building faded in as the sounds of the city erupted in Bido's ears. The gang had just finished up taking a picture when they sent the four children off to play as they gathered in the shade of the trees.

"But how did any of you get access to that kind of information?" Bido asked.

"The hows don't matter, Bido," Ken urged, "As much as we hope for the best, the timing on the message is just too coincidental."

"Planet Vegeta is destroyed and we're warned of our destruction only two years later?" Kyo mused, "And even if Vegeta wasn't destroyed, Frieza isn't exactly the kind of person to warn somebody that they might be killed."

"You think Frieza might come after us?" Bido asked.

"Nobody's saying that but nobody's ruling it out either," Kesa chimed in, "Pretty much all of Parliament agrees that Frieza can't be trusted but nobody is willing to say it. His reach is too far for anybody to publicly come out against him."

"Why doesn't the Chancellor just put out a defense force?" Bido questioned.

"He doesn't want people to panic. The sky is suddenly swarmed with military personnel flying up and down the horizon? Think of how people would react," Shizu said.

"That makes sense, but why tell me?" Bido asked.

"Because we trust you Bido," Kyo said, "And we're asking you to take the children off-planet for a while. At least until we figure out whether we're actually going to be destroyed or not."

"We can have a ship ready by this evening," Ken added, "If anyone asks, we can just say you went on vacation to Planet Moku or something."

"I- I don't know, guys," Bido stammered, "Why can't you guys come with us?"

"I wish we could, Bido, but having six members of Parliament skip town after getting a warning for our demise isn't exactly a good look for us," Kesa said.

"But what about the kids? How are they going to react?" Bido asked.

"As I said, we can say you're going on a vacation," Ken repeated, "I don't think they'd be too opposed to that."

"I don't know," Bido sighed.

"Please, Bido," Kyo exclaimed, "Those four deserve something better than dying before they got a chance to actually enjoy life."

"We've all enjoyed our lives, let them enjoy theirs," Ken pleaded.

Bido looked at the group before letting out a heavy sigh. "Get the ship ready," He sighed, "I have something to take care of first, then I'll be right down."

The memory faded into true nothingness, no more memories swirling around Bido as he stood there in silence. "That was the last time I saw them," He said, finding himself able to speak clearly instead of merely thinking to himself, "In just a few hours the kids and I escaped the fate Hera, its destruction passing only two days later."

He sat cross-legged on the ground and began to think things over. "But why show me any of this? Reminding me of that cursed project and showing me memories of everyone I loved before it was ripped away from me?" He questioned, "Or is it just to show me I've failed to protect those four, even after my friends sent us away specifically to protect us?"

"And from what corner of logic are you pulling that from?" His own voice asked him. The older Bido stared blankly as the younger version of himself took a seat next to him and stared out into the void, "What makes you think you've failed them? The way I see it, you're only failing yourself,"

"I'm the one who decided to come to this planet and look at what happened," The older Bido said, "And there's nothing I can do to rectify this."

"You know that's a lie," The younger Bido scoffed, "You spent almost a decade of your life studying the effects of ki on a person. You figured out how to _control _the ki within another person. And you're saying you can't stop this?"

"I will not stoop low enough to control Bojack like a puppet!" Bido yelled, the darkness around him rippling like water, "After I found out what you could do to _people_ with that knowledge, I vowed to never use it on another living being again."

"Yet you broke that vow," The younger Bido said, "You healed those three after their fight with Bojack."

"That was necessary!" Bido exclaimed, "Some of their wounds would have killed them if they weren't treated correctly!"

"And Bojack will kill anyone who gets in his way if you don't stop him," The younger Bido said, "You're scared that you'll kill him by doing so, but you know of another way to stop him."

The younger Bido faded away as the scene shifted to Bido's old office inside the lab. The head of the Science Department was reclined in Bido's chair, a smug look crossing his face as the Heran burst through the door and slammed it shut behind him.

"Mr. Sagi, just what in Hell do you think you're doing?!" Bido demanded as he slammed his fist on the desk.

"I'm merely doing my job," Sagi replied smugly, "You've failed to produce results, so I'm going to step in and… speed up the process."

"As if some failure of a scientist like you has any idea of how to work this project," Bido scoffed.

"'Failure of a scientist?'" Sagi laughed, "Mr. Bido, I don't believe they'd let a failure of a scientist be the head of the Science Department."

"If that failure rides the coattails of his father's achievements, then I'm sure something can happen," Bido replied, "And especially when that failure has so much money in his pocket that it's practically overflowing."

"Are you implying that I bribed my way into this position?" Sagi sneered.

"Oh right. How could I forget," Bido said, "That money wasn't in _your_ pocket. Why don't you answer to the millions of dollars that went missing from your father and this department since your bid for head office?"

"If you think I'm going to stand here while you accuse me of stealing from my own father, then you have another thing coming!" Sagi exclaimed as he shot onto his feet.

Bido's eyes filled with energy as he loomed over Sagi, the head shrinking back down into the chair as Bido began to yell more intensely. "Sit back down, you weak-willed, spineless rat!" His voice boomed, "You think some toothpick like you scares me?! You're a fraudulent coward that throws money around like candy! You've done nothing to deserve the spot you hold, and you most certainly have done nothing to earn the respect you're given! All you did was buy your way to the top like it's Monopoly! This isn't some game for you to play!" The moment Bido grabbed Sagi's forehead, his eyes began to glow similar to Bido's. A second passed before Bido pulled himself away and fell back against the wall breathing heavily, looking at his desk in terror.


	11. Chapter 11

_This one is far shorter than the other chapters, but I want the next chapter to be longer than the rest as it will be the final one for this part._

**Chapter 11: **_**Memories Part 3**_

Bido backed against the wall in horror, breathing heavily as he stared down at his desk. He could still feel the energy surging through him, a trace aura flying off his body. "Mr. Sagi?" He panted, "Mr. Sagi, are you alright?"

A faint groan came from behind the desk as an arm appeared over the top of it. Mr. Sagi pulled himself up to his feet before collapsing down into Bido's chair. "I'm quite alright, just had a bit of a bad spell," He groaned, "My wife keeps saying I should get more sleep, yet I never listen to her. I guess now is the perfect time to start." He chuckled lightly as he pulled himself closer to the desk. "Now, we were going over the plans to replace some of your old equipment, I believe?"

Mr. Sagi stopped for a second and looked around before glancing at the desk. "Oh, where are my manners? This is your desk," Sagi pushed the chair out and made his way around the desk.

"No, it's alright," Bido said as he moved to stop Sagi, "That was quite a fall you took. It wouldn't be proper of me to ask you to move." Bido went to pull over one of the spare chairs from the wall, prompting Sagi to grab the top of it.

"I won't take 'no' for an answer," He said, "This is your office, and I'm merely a visitor. Now please, take a seat in your chair."

Bido hesitated for a second before putting the chair down and moving to the opposite side of the desk. He followed Sagi and pulled in his chair, the department head straightening his posture before speaking.

"So, as I was saying," He began, "After looking through some old records, I found that the equipment you've been using is close to fifty years old. Somebody apparently gave the okay to pass onto you some equipment that, quite frankly, should've been scrapped decades ago. I'm afraid I don't have the papers on me but do know I'll be back with receipts for some newer versions of your equipment which you'll have to sign for."

Bido stared blankly at Sagi for a second before nodding silently. "And, um, when could I expect you back?" Bido stammered.

"Well, the paperwork should all be finished in four business days, that's this upcoming Tuesday, so expect me on that Wednesday," Sagi said as he pushed out his chair, "Your new equipment should come in by the Wednesday after that, but I'll send a few replacements down tomorrow to cover the older models we'll be taking."

Sagi got to his feet and made his exit, Bido listening in on the conversation happening just outside his door. "Alright, men, grab whatever needs replacing and load it into the truck- does that look like it needs replacing? Put that down! And what would compel you to believe we need to take those files?"

"Boss, you said we had to confiscate all of the equipment, as well as any notes on the research being conducted here," One of the workers said.

"What complete nonsense," Sagi exclaimed, "I would surely remember ordering anything like that! Whoever called for it has no authority for it, as I am the only one with jurisdiction over these matters. But for now, forget whatever that order was and follow my orders."

"Yes, sir," The worker said, followed by several pairs of footsteps moving around outside the door.

Bido waited for the footsteps to disappear and the sound of the trucks driving off to fade away before pressing a button on the intercom and calling for Rika. He slumped into his chair and pressed his forehead against the desk.

Not long passed before someone opened on the door and stepped inside. "You called for me, Sir," Rika said as she stepped into the room. Seeing Bido facedown on the desk, she kneeled before it and rested her chin in her arms. "You okay, Bido?"

"I- don't know," Bido hesitated.

"Bido, what happened in here?" Rika asked, "We all heard screaming, and then Mr. Sagi came out with a completely different attitude. What went down in here?"

"I'm not sure," Bido sighed as he sat up in his chair, "It felt like every little bit of energy welled up within me. I just… reached out to grab him and suddenly his entire life flashed before my eyes."

"Well, it is well known that some ki users can read the minds of others via their ki," Rika said.

"But this felt different," Bido explained, "It felt like I was there. That I could interact with his memories. And I guess I did. Or maybe it was something else."

"What do you mean?" Rika questioned him.

"I saw what it was like for him growing up. I could feel his emotions, his resentment towards his mother and father, towards the people around him," Bido continued, "He felt inadequate compared to his father, and he always felt as though others were making sure of that. And I felt bad for him. Especially after seeing all the work he _had_ accomplished on his own. And for a split second, it felt like I was talking directly to him. I told him that he wasn't his father, and it didn't matter if others made it seem that way."

"And something changed?" Rika asked.

"When I said that, all of his anger and resentment started to disappear," Bido said, "He didn't feel happy though. He felt content. Like he accepted that. And then it ended, and I was shot back to my own body."

Rika stared at him for a second before leaning back in her chair. "Do you think it could tie into our research?"

"Maybe," Bido replied, "But I don't want to delve into it. The ability to control a person's memories and emotions is one that nobody should have."

The memory faded away and left Bido staring at his younger self still sitting in the office chair. "So what was the point of that?" He asked, "To remind me why I made my promise in the first place?"

The younger Bido sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "On Hera's name, do I really become this dense?" He sighed, "You have the power to rid Bojack of his anger. You can figure out why he's held on to the prospect of revenge for so long and help him move on."

"But at what cost?" Bido questioned, "I made a promise to never use that on anyone again."

"'At what cost?!'" The younger Bido exclaimed as he shot to his feet. He stared at his older self for a second before sighing deeply and falling back into the chair. "Fine. Don't use it," He groaned, "So what if he kills everyone around him? At least you get to keep your precious integrity."

Bido grit his teeth and stared down at his feet as his younger self got up from the chair once again and walked over to the older Heran. He put his hand on the older Bido's shoulder as he passed by, pulling himself closer to him. "Which do you value more, your promise to yourself, or your promise to keep them safe?"

The younger Bido disappeared into nothing, his final words echoing faintly in the darkness. Bido took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the world around him turning fully dark. The sound of his heartbeat echoed faintly in his ears as the image of Bojack appeared in front of him, the Heran's energy flowing around him in one giant mass. He felt himself begin to slowly rise into the air, his energy building up as he rose higher and higher. With one final deep breath, he opened his eyes, readjusting to the light as he reined in his energy. Not far beneath him, Vegeta and Bojack stared in awe at the Heran, the duo halting the fight between them.

Bido stared intensely at Bojack as the energy within him grew stronger, ready to burst from his body. "I'm sorry," He said quietly.


End file.
